Most off-Broadway shows have several weeks of rehearsals and a week of technical rehearsals. Our first cast, Samantha Bee, Tyne Daly, Katie Finneran, Natasha Lyonne, and Rosie O'Donnell, had one week and since that time each cast has had only 2 days to rehearse the show before audiences join us. Here is how the process goes:
Script Assignments
About 2 weeks before a cast is going to start Karen Carpenter, our director, will work with Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron on script assignments for a new cast. Unlike shows like The Vagina Monologues, there are not set "tracks" in terms of the script. In other words, just because an actor reads one story, it doesn't mean her successor will read it.
For example, in November's cast Kristin Chenoweth (pictured at left) was assigned among others, "The Purse," "The Shirt" and was one of the brides in "Brides." In March, Fran Drescher was assigned "The Purse," "Annie's Story" (the great paper dress tale) and "Gang Sweater." Currently, Brooke Shields is reading "Geralyn's Story" and is one of the "Brides." In December, Rita Wilson read "Geralyn's Story" but read none of the others that Brooke is currently reading -- in fact, Julie Halston is reading two of the stories Rita did!Confusing? Not really, essentially Nora and Delia want each cast to be unique and without question they have achieved their goal. We often hear from folks who have seen the show three, four, even eight times, and the comment we hear most often and are very proud of is that the show is truly different with each cast.
After Nora, Delia, and Karen decide who is reading which stories, the scripts are sent to the actors about a week before they start, always with caveat that the assignments might change during rehearsals (which actually happens a lot more often than you would imagine).
Preparation for Rehearsals
In the show, Gingy teaches the audience how to draw themselves. Each audience members program has an insert on which to draw. So, at some point before the other actors gather, the actor playing Gingy has a "drawing" lesson.
Each actor also has a fitting with our wardrobe stylist. Most of the fittings are at Bloomingdale's where we buy all of the ladies fabulous clothing - all black of course -- and accessories. But by the first day of rehearsals the dressing room is filled with lots of different looks for each actress -- a mecca of designer black clothes!
Day One of Rehearsals
The morning of the first day is all about clothes. Actors who have flown in from Los Angeles may have their first fitting (Casey Wilson came straight off the red-eye flight for rehearsals). Gradually all of the actors are added in so that different looks can be seen by Karen and the production staff. It is a lot more challenging than most would think. First, the goal is that each actor's individual style will come through in their costume. Second, each actor's look must be distinctly different from all of the others -- everything from jewelry to necklines have to be thoroughly examined. Third, the outfit has to look good standing AND sitting.
As soon as a look or two is picked for each actor, it is back into their own clothes and we head to the Westside Theatre's upstairs lobby where we have a meet and greet with our fabulous team including our press agents, crew, and of course our amazing producer Daryl Roth!
After everyone has had their fill of sandwiches and cookies, it is time for table work. For the next 6 hours we read through the script, with lots of stopping for Nora or Delia to give background information on a story or for actors to simply share their own stories. A lot of bonding happens in those hours around the table.
Day Two of Rehearsals
The day starts with make-up and hair. The ladies each meet with our make-up and hair designer to further establish their look for the show, as soon as they are powdered and coiffed, they slip into their costumes, and it is time for our first run of the show. This run is usually stop/start as it is the first time the actors have sat in their stools under the lights. Figuring out the height of the music stands and where to comfortably put their legs takes a lot of time. The music stands have to be low enough that they don't block an audience member's view of another actor but high enough for the actor to read! We did our best to get comfortable, padded stools, but they are still stools, and sitting in them for 100 minutes under stage lights is no easy task. Surprisingly, we have found that actors who are, shall we say, "smaller in stature" are more comfortable in the stools and can easily reach the footrest while sitting in a ladylike position. For taller actors, we had to build boxes that they could rest their feet on.
After the first run, it is time for dinner then a notes session. After the notes we run the show for a second time. And that is it. The next day the audience is in for a 2 pm matinee. Four weeks later, we do it all again!
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I have seen the show 4 times and that is so interesting to read the back story. Karen, Nora and Delia really have created an awesome show.
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